Mayor wants changes in concert costs, clean-ups

“Enough is enough -- the continued trashing of our city has to stop,” Mayor William Peduto wrote in a statement concerning the Luke Bryant concert on the North Shore over the weekend.

The mayor wrote that Pittsburgh is the cultural and economic engine for the entire tri-state region and hosting concerts is part of that tradition. But there is no reason large events like the one Saturday on the North Shore should force city taxpayers to bear the burden for outsized amounts of garbage removal and public safety response.

Public Safety officials responded to more than 300 incidents related to the concert.

Pittsburgh Police issued 37 non-traffic citations: 20 for scalping; 10 for public urination; six for disorderly conduct; and one for public intoxication; made at least seven arrests; broke up 15 fights and answered 154 calls to 911. City medics responded to 100 calls to 311 and made 34 transports to hospitals.

The mayor noted Public Works cleaned the area through the day starting at 11 a.m. Saturday and had an overnight crew emptying garbage cans, and flushing and sweeping streets. Sunday morning it was still picking up garbage from boaters along the Allegheny River.

“The city will be holding those responsible -- including promoters -- liable for these service costs and invoicing them,” the mayor wrote.

“We’ve worked too hard to build the quality-of-life in Pittsburgh to let others get away with destroying it. My administration will investigate further ways to hold promoters more accountable for these costs and impacts, while recognizing the economic benefits such large events bring to our publicly-owned facilities.”